Starting seeds - Direct Sow vs Indoor Starting

Continuing with our blog posts on starting seeds in your home garden, today we are discussing the two main types of sowing for your edible home garden. 

Direct Sow

This is a system of sowing your seeds directly into the soil in your outdoor beds or containers. While this may seem like the easiest way to go, it is not always the best way to get your seeds to germinate well and eventually have a strong healthy plant. 

For direct sowing, you need to consider various things; the temperature, proper soil drainage, and specific seed requirements. For many shallow-rooted crops like carrots and radishes, it is best to sow them directly outdoors in your beds or containers as their roots do not like being disturbed. 

Depending on the temperatures in your area, the soil and air may be too cold or too hot to start your seeds outdoors. You therefore need to consider what is for your local area. Plants that reach maturity in 70 days or less may do better with direct sowing, e.g. lettuce or other leafy greens. 

Indoor Starting or Sowing

This is starting your seeds in small containers like the egg crates and carton tubes mentioned in my last blog post, seed trays, or other pots in an indoor environment away from extreme temperatures or other conditions. For many plants starting them first in small containers before transplanting allows them to be strong and mature before being transferred to the outdoor world. Transplants also allow you to pick the strongest-looking plants to go into your garden giving them a better chance of survival and production.

Please note that indoor seed starting may simply refer to starting your seeds in a greenhouse or other covered environment. It may also include starting your seeds on heated mats under grow lights and going through the acclimation process once you have good sprouts ready for transplanting. 

Some examples of plants that prefer indoor sowing and then transplanting include tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and leafy greens like kale, mustard, etc. 

For first-time edible gardeners, buying transplants is a much easier way of starting. You would only need to transplant your small plants from their small individual containers to your garden bed or outdoor containers. 

In future posts, I will go into some specific examples of starting seeds directly and indoors.

Don't forget to check out our social media pages on Instagram and Facebook:

https://www.instagram.com/aroebegardens/

https://www.facebook.com/aroebegardens

Our goal is to reach 100 followers this January, so let's work together to achieve it!